Cadaver-detection dogs – used to sniff out human remains – will be brought in to scour the rubble of a derelict Sydney hat factory which is poised to be demolished after a once-in-a-decade blaze.
Specialist heavy machinery is on site and will begin knocking down what is left of the seven-storey, 1910s-era brick building in inner-city Surry Hills on Tuesday morning.
Police haven’t ruled out finding bodies in the rubble of the heritage building but the site needs to be made safe before it can be thoroughly inspected and residents in neighbouring buildings can return home.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry says a 60-tonne long reach excavator arrived before dawn on Tuesday for the tricky operation to ensure the job is done safely.
‘It can reach in about 23 metres so that’s the distance it can stay away from the building,’ he told Sydney radio station 2GB.
Cadaver-detection dogs (pictured) will scour the rubble of a derelict building in Surry Hills in Sydney’s CBD after it caught fire this month
Police haven’t ruled out finding bodies in the rubble of the heritage building (pictured) but the site needs to be made safe before it can be thoroughly inspected
‘We want to make sure everyone remains safe but we also don’t want to cause any damage to adjoining structures and utilities that are in and around and under the road,’ he said.
‘We’ve got gas mains underneath, we’ve got electricity and water so we just need to make sure we don’t cause any more problems.’
The site will be handed over to police, allowing arson squad investigators and cadaver-detection dogs to examine the scene as rubble is removed.
‘While police have not received any reports of missing people, investigators are unable to definitively say there is no one inside,’ police said in a statement on Monday.
The brick and timber building, and a neighbouring structure formerly home to karaoke bar Ding Dong Dang, was known for regularly housing 15 rough sleepers. Thirteen of them were contacted by police on Friday.
There are calls for authorities to search other buildings in the CBD that are standing empty.
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Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolao has written to Premier Chris Minns and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore asking for an audit.
After Thursday’s fire in Surry Hills (pictured) more than 100 people living in the area have been registered as displaced
‘It is unsatisfactory and potentially unsafe for buildings to be left empty and insecure with the risk of them being used by squatters and others who shouldn’t be in them,’ he said.
A police spokesperson confirmed a fourth young person had come forward following three others earlier this week but said the underage individual would not be assisting police in their investigation.
‘Last night we received advice from a fourth young person’s legal representative that they will not be providing a version by way of interview or statement,’ a NSW Police spokesperson said.
‘Available evidence will now be assessed in relation to further action.’
Two 13-year-olds came forward in the days after the blaze, with a third person – aged 12 – coming forward on Saturday.
None of the young people spoken to by police have been charged and have all been let go pending the police investigation.
‘At this stage, we’re not going to reveal what they’ve actually said,’ Superintendent Arbinja said.
‘We’ll go through the whole investigation and then we’ll work out what the best and most appropriate measure is to solve this matter.’
Welfare services will continue to update displaced residents and keep them informed.
The brick hat factory was built in 1912 and operated until 1954 when proprietor RC Henderson went into liquidation.
The property was later leased to individual tenants in the 1960s and ’70s, and plans were afoot to use the brick structure in a $40million redevelopment of the site into a 123-room hotel.
